Misunderstood
by Gintomi
Summary: Why is it that Kikyo never smiles? Maybe she did at some point in her life. What could have happened to make a young woman take on the entire feudal era?
1. Early Years

"Focus a little harder Kikyo … visualize hitting your target before you let go of the arrow."

Taking a deep breath Kikyo used both of her eyes and envisioned the arrow hitting the red dot, then focusing her aim with one eye she released her fingers and hit the bull's-eye.

"Very good! I think that's enough practice for one afternoon. Why don't you help your mother in the forest gathering herbs."

"Okay papa!" Kikyo gave her father the bow and ran into the forest looking for her mother.

Spring was Kikyo's favorite season because of all the smells and colors the forest offered. The sun was not hot enough to make her uncomfortable in her ice blue kimono and the grass felt wonderful under her bare feet. She had finished her archery lesson for the day and wanted to tell her mother how good she's gotten for only beginning a month and a half ago. Kikyo's father had promised to teach her how to shoot a bow and arrow like him on the first warm day after her eight birthday.

"Mother? Mother where are you? I've come to help you collect herbs!"

"Kikyo …"

"Mother!" The little girl was horrified to see her mother lying on the ground next to the Goshinboku "Mother what's wrong? What happened?"

"Go get your father Kikyo, tell him your brother or sister is ready to meet him."

Kikyo ran as fast as she could to the shrine and told him about her mother and the child she was trying to bear. He gathered as many villagers as he could to help him carry his wife to the birthing hut. Day turned into night with still no sign of the child and Kikyo became worried for her mothers safety. She did not hear the baby's cry until the sun showed light of the approaching day.

"Father! The baby is here the baby is here!" Kikyo called out into the village hoping her father was still outside waiting. The priest ran past his daughter and into the room where his wife and second child resided. A shiver crept up her spine as she heard her father scream out in angst, running into the room she saw the floor covered with blood and her mother lying still. Terror griped Kikyo's heart as she ran and threw herself onto her mother "Mama? Mama please wake up!"

The miko from the neighboring town pulled Kikyo off of her mother and spoke to her softly "Stop your crying little one. I am sorry your mother has passed, but you're father needs you right now. Your new baby sister may not survive the night since she is weak and smaller then average. He will need you more then ever right now."

Inhaling and exhaling deeply she calmed herself and looked over at her father sitting in the corner holding her new sister. She was very small and it looked as though she had trouble breathing on her own. Her father's eyes were focused on her mother and Kikyo knew he wanted to be by her side one lat time. Walking to the corner she held out her arms and took the baby from the priest. Rocking her sister back and forth she concentrated all of her love and hope on the baby, praying she would live throughout the night. The purity of her prayer emanated out onto the newborn and both children were basked in a pale blue glow that seemed to light up the whole room.

"Kikyo?" her father stammered.

"It's going to be okay papa, my sister is breathing just fine now. Say good-bye to mother and we'll name the baby." Her father decided Kikyo's sister would be named Kaede after his grandmother.

Two years passed since her mothers death and Kikyo's spiritual powers grew stronger every day. By this point her archer skills surpassed half of the men in the village and her knowledge of herbs and flowers became extensive. Villagers would not find Kikyo without her little sister running around at her feet or playing close by.

"You've become very strong daughter. I want you to start taking on a few of the responsibilities at the shrine."

"You want me to become a miko?" Kikyo asked in amazement.

The priest chuckled "Yes I would. You posses great power Kikyo and I believe it will be put to good use. At least until you're married with a few children of your own."

Laughing and jumping onto her fathers back he carried Kikyo to where Kaede was playing before she jumped off in order to carry her sister. The trio were happy like this for another three years. Singing, dancing, working together at the shrine, and celebrating all of life's gifts.

"Kikyo where are you going?"

"To visit mother's gravesite, would you like to accompany me Kaede?"

"Yes please."

The sisters walked carrying purple bellflowers to their mothers resting place under one of the trees in the forest.

"Why is mother not buried in the shrine?"

"Because she was an ordinary woman little sister. Only priests and priestesses can be buried within the shrine's walls."

"Will we be buried there?"

Giggling "If we become priestesses we will. But father will not hand over his responsibility so quickly. Besides, in a few years I will be old enough to marry and move to the outskirts of the village to start my own family. I don't want to be cleaning a shrine all day."

Kaede began to cry over her sisters words "I don't want you to leave sister Kikyo!" Grabbing onto her sister she cried into her shoulder.

"Now, now stop your crying" smiling down at Kaede "I will never be too far away where you cannot find me, okay?"

"Okay" the littlest sister sniffled and hugged her older sister. Kikyo could have stayed that way for most of the day if she hadn't heard the explosion in the village.

"Kaede we have to hurry!" They began to run back to town and Kikyo could see the dark smoke rising over them "I want you to run and hide behind the sacred tree until I come and get you, do you understand?"

"Yes big sister!"

"Now run!"

Kaede ran toward the tree while Kikyo continued to the shrine "Father? What is happening?"

"A demon is attacking the village. Where is your sister?"

"She's safe. Let me help you I am good with my bow and can be useful."

Hesitantly the priest agreed and allowed his oldest daughter to fight along side him. The beetle demon had a protective hard shell around his body and none of their arrow or spears seemed to penetrate. Kikyo had only three arrows left and her father was left with one. Pulling the arrow back she visualized hitting the demon between the eyes and focused all of her energy on stopping the monster from destroying her home _"I pray this arrow hit its mark"_ she thought as she released her hand. Striking the monster in the head, her father was in awe of the purple and pink trail the arrow left behind and the affect it had on the beast.

"Do it again Kikyo! I'm going to move in closer for a better shot!" The priest and a few other men attacked the demon while Kikyo weakened him with another sacred arrow _"How am I doing this?"_ she thought.

With her last arrow the young woman shot the demon through the heart and purified him. Knowing she was out of danger she ran to where her father now lay on the ground "Papa?" she yelled.

"Stay back Kikyo" one of the men pulled her away "Before you purified him some of his miasma bled out and burned your father and some of the other villagers.

Kikyo could see that her father was no longer moving and she could no longer feel his presence, he was dead. Forcing herself away from the man she walked into the forest towards the Goshinboku where she found Kaede picking the petals off of a flower. She pulled her sister into her arms and told her about their father. As Kaede cried Kikyo looked solemnly at the shrine and knew what she had to do.


	2. Vision of the Sacred Jewel

The village was hushed overnight by the first snowfall. Families stayed indoors most of the day to keep warm as the calm flurries continued to glide toward the earth _"It's so peaceful"_ the young priestess thought as she held her hand out to catch a few of the flakes.

"Sister Kikyo, where are you going?"

"To check the perimeter Kaede, please stay inside so you don't catch cold."

Two years after her fathers' death, Kikyo became the youngest priestess to care over the village. Only fifteen, her intelligence and archery skills exceeded beyond all of the other villagers, most believed it was due to her high level of spiritual power. When Kikyo was not defending or aiding the village, she was meditating, tending the shrine, or studying different artifacts and scrolls.

"Hurry back sister! Night will fall soon and you promised to tell me a story before bed."

Smiling "Yes, you're right. I'll be back soon," Kikyo turned and walked through town until she reached the edge. She focused all of her energy into the surroundings and waited for any shifts in aura.

"What brings you to my village Honshu?"

Emerging from the forest the white wolf walked up to Kikyo "You're powers are indeed strong priestess, we have not met but you know me."

"I also know your wolf tribe has been attacking humans for food" she armed herself with an arrow but kept her bow lowered.

"It is only a small branch who are attacking humans, I have no control over what they do. They follow a very brash and arrogant pup, but his heart will be in the right place eventually. But you want to know why I have come to find you."

Kikyo nodded "You traveled far from the north during the winter season, your quest must be important to trek in these conditions."

"Lady Kikyo, I had a vision of you surrounded by a purifying light holding what appeared to be the Sacred Jewel."

The wolf leaders words pierced Kikyo to her center, yet she kept a calm demeanor "The Jewel of Four Souls? Why would I have such a gem in my possession?"

"I do not know, but as a wolf elder you can trust my ability as a seer. At some point the Sacred Jewel will be yours, learn as much as you can before that time to better prepare yourself for the task at hand."

"Answer me one question Honshu. If the Sacred Jewel is to be in my possession, why do you warn me instead of taking the jewel for yourself?"

Turning around and heading back to the forest "Because my lady, I believe in balance. No one side should have all that power. Remember that young priestess."

"Thank you, Honshu, for sharing your vision with me" Kikyo turned and finished checking the boundaries of the village _"Why did my heart ache at the mention of the Sacred Jewel?"_

The miko reached her home and turned back around to stare at the quiet town, _"I have a feeling this is my last peaceful snowfall."_

"Sister, is that you?"

"Yes Kaede, I'm back" the young woman stepped out of the cold and into the warmth of her baby sisters' smile.


	3. Beginning of a Feudal Fairy Tale

"Why would Tsubaki put a curse on you Kikyo?"

The priestess looked down at her eight year old sister "Because she is a wicked woman who desires power and everlasting beauty. She views me as a threat and would like to see me dead."

Kaede gasped, "She's not powerful enough to kill you sister, is she?"

Kikyo smiled to reassure Kaede "My duty is to protect the village and aid anyone who needs my help. I no longer see falling in love and having a family as an option for me, so no Kaede, her curse is not powerful enough to kill me."

Sighing in relief Kaede marched along side her sister and began to hum a song, stopping once in a while to pick flowers and chase butterflies.

"_I have been sixteen for over a month little sister, all of the girls my age are either engaged or finding their loves. My responsibilities will never allow me to love out in the open, if I do, my enemies will target my weakness and surely end my life"_ the miko had come to this conclusion years ago after the death of Senichi.

When their father was killed by the beetle demon, a family of three decided to help Kikyo and Kaede adjust to living without parents and offered to help. The husband and wife had one child, a boy named Senichi who was two years older then Kikyo. Months passed and Kikyo and Senichi became close friends, eventually Senichi fell in love with Kikyo and wanted to wait until she was done mourning before asking for her hand in marriage.

_I love you Kikyo … I will wait as long as I have to before asking for your hand, but I wanted you to know my feelings toward you._

_Senichi? _Kikyo was shocked, she thought of her friend as an older brother, someone she could turn to when she felt tired and weak from her priestess training. Of course she loved him, but not the way lovers do.

The miko had focused on her shock and guilt, which is why she did not sense the bandits creeping up behind them through the forest. Within moments the men attacked the young friends trying to rob them, Senichi was stabbed three times in the stomach before Kikyo was able to put an arrow into their attackers.

_Senichi! Hold on, I will go get help and we'll treat your wounds back in my hut. _

_Kikyo? _The young man grabbed her wrist and pulled her close to his face and looked at her with a mixture of love and pain. Kikyo stared back waiting for him to speak, instead, Senichi smiled at her before he closed his eyes and fell into darkness. At his funeral, she saw all of the grievers and felt her heart break as Senichi's parents buried their only child. Kikyo realized she needed to give up all of the pleasantries of life in order to carry out her duties flawlessly. Kikyo laid to rest her hopes of happiness along with her friend, it was around this time Kikyo's smiles became few and far in between.

"Look sister! We're home!" Kaede laughed as she sprinted for the village.

One of the village elders approached the priestess as she entered the town "Lady Kikyo, a band of demon slayers came by earlier demanding to speak with you. We told them you were away and they said they would return later tonight."

"_I wonder if this has anything to do with the Sacred Jewel?" _looking at the elder with no expression "Did they mention why they sought me?"

"No my lady, but they were desperate."

Nodding "Then we shall see what they have to say when they return tonight" Kikyo walked past the crowd and headed for the shrine.


	4. Tragic Destiny

Two years had past since Kikyo received the Sacred Jewel from the chief of the demon slayer tribe, Shako, and changed her life. The Priestess rolled onto her back and winced in pain "_Damn you Inuyasha …"_ As she looked toward the sky she thought about the events that lead her to the end of her life. Breathing heavily she let a few tears escape her eyes as she felt her heart breaking and all hope leaving her body as quickly as her blood was flowing out onto the field.

"Kaede!" Kikyo turned onto her side and began to push herself up "_Inuyasha is still free and now possesses the Jewel of Four Souls … I have to stop him from transforming in order to save Kaede and the village._"

The miko stood wearily and began to walk back to the temple, each step causing her head to spin faster and faster "_Keep it together Kikyo, you have to stop him and save your baby sister,_" the Priestess remembered the night Kaede was born and how she used her powers to heal the sickly infant. Leaning against a tree the young woman caught her breathe and clutched her arm, the sting of Inuyasha's words still echoing inside her head made Kikyo's stomach turn in disgust "_How could I be so foolish? Of course he was after the Sacred Jewel! Why did I let my desires take over my better judgment?_"

The explosion from the shrine brought Kikyo back to reality and the severity of her surroundings "_Inuyasha's attacking the village … I have to hurry!_" Walking as fast as her legs would allow her, the miko sped to her hut recovering her bow and the last arrow. Looking around she realized it would be the final time she would see her home. Memories flooded her brain as she though of her mother and father, grandparents, and of course, her little sister "_I'm so sorry Kaede …_" Giving one last look she hurried to the outskirts of the shrine, sensing that was where Inuyasha was heading.

Gathering what was left of her strength, Kikyo sprinted to the edge of the shrine and began to run down the steps. Feelings of light headedness and nausea were taking over as the numbness in her knees threatened her balance "_Not yet, just a little while longer!_" Then she saw the flash of red out of the corner of her eye. Pausing on the steps she took aim at the area he would be in mid air next "_You can do this … you have to kill him!_"

She heard her fathers voice, _"Focus a little harder Kikyo … visualize hitting your target before you let go of the arrow."_

Then her mothers, _"Go get your father Kikyo, tell him your brother or sister is ready to meet him."_

Kaede's, _"I don't want you to leave sister Kikyo!"_

And then … _"I'll do it, I will become human Kikyo … I lo –"_

"INUYASHA!" The Priestess released the arrow filled with the love of her family and the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with as an ordinary woman. Sailing through the air the sealing arrow pinned the half demon to Goshinboku. The two locked eyes for a moment before Inuyasha drifted into eternal sleep. Breathing heavily, Kikyo started her descend down the stairs and fell to her knees in front of the half demon "_I hate you, Inuyasha, for the lies you told me, for the time wasted_" swallowing hard to push back her tears "_For the false hope and love … my wounds will kill my body, but I died from a broken heart._"

"Sister Kikyo, are you okay?"

"Listen to me very carefully Kaede …"


End file.
